The seats around the secondary final table stage are just about full now, and spectators are shuffling by the outer rail to check things out. Bracelet winners Blair and Grant Hinkle are in attendance sweating Jeffrey Tebben, and Grant is live-blogging his friend's performance via twitter. Check out Hinkle's account of the action here.
It's been Kiet Tran's turn to raid the table. He three-bet Greg Pohler from the big blind and earned a fold, dropping Pohler to 550,000. Next hand, Tran shoved from the small blind and won the pot. The third hand, he moved all in from the button and took it down. And the fourth hand in a row, Tran raised to 85,000 from the cutoff, which was enough to earn the blinds and antes. He's up to 2.85 million.
Action folded to Greg Pohler in the cutoff, and he open-shoved for 470,000. In the big blind, Jeff Tebben called the 12-big blind shove to put Pohler at risk.
Showdown
Pohler:
Tebben:
The board ran out , bringing nothing to bail out Pohler. He got handshakes from the table and left to collect his eighth-place winnings. Tebben, having started the day as the absolute short stack with 466,000, is now in third with 1.7 million.
Blake Kelso just got another walk. David Tolbert, on his right, came to the final table with 925,000, but he has yet to play a hand and has given Kelso a handful of walks from the small blind so far. Tolbert's blinded down to 625,000.
Jeff Tebben raised to 105,000 from the cutoff, and JD McNamara made it 235,000 from the big blind. Though Tebben's been more active than most so far, he wasn't about to let one go. Instead, he four-bet to 535,000, and McNamara insta-folded. JD fell to 1.75 million, giving Tebben the second spot in the counts with 2,025,000.
Denis Murphy shoved his button, and David Tolbert woke up and snap-called from the big blind, putting himself all in for 610,000. It was Murphy's against Tolbert's . The flop was just what Tolbert wanted to see. The turn brought the and the river the , doubling Tolbert to 1.28 million. Murphy has been crippled to 200,000.
Denis Murphy stuck his last 205,000 in from middle position with , and JD McNamara called out of the small blind with . The board came , and Murphy's pair of tens bested McNamara's fives. He doubled up to 485,000, leaving McNamara with 1.5 million.
The next hand, Murphy moved all in again and took the blind and antes, chipping up to 565,000.
David Tolbert raised to 125,000 from early position, and David Cai moved all in from the small blind. It was 655,000 more for Tolbert to call, and call he did. In the battle of the Davids, Cai was at risk with against Tolbert's . The flop was clean for Tolbert. But the on the turn shifted the lead to Cai. The on the river changed nothing, and Cai doubled to 1.65 million. Tolbert is back down to 550,000.
Eighty minutes into the final table, we've seen our first flop that wasn't all in pre. Kiet Tran raised to 85,000 from the cutoff, and what? Jeff Tebben called from the big blind!
Flop: - Tebben bet out 175,000, and Tran tank-folded.